While enough developments are constantly being made in the field of Education, the same can not be said for ‘Understanding’. Which is why Rich Carr’s passionate work in the field is nothing short of revolutionary. Founder of Brain-centric and co-author of Brain-centric Design, Carr documented a systematic approach to learning for understanding that emerged as the neuroscience frameworks to help people learn faster, retain more information, apply what they learn more effectively, and enjoy it while they do.
Brain-centric is a framework for the planning and execution of communication the brain accepts, understands, and retains. When you understand how the brain processes new information and revise your communications to this framework, people learn faster, retain more, and apply what they learn more effectively.
Brain-centric Design (BcD) was born from a chance meeting between Dr. Kieran O’Mahony, a cognitive learning neuroscientist, and Carr, then a marketing expert.
After serving in the US Army, Rich graduated with honors in Mass Communications and began a successful career in sales. He worked for and owned radio, digital and print marketing, with his teams consistently exceeding industry sales goals. He had decades of experience in applying ‘techniques that worked’, while O’Mahony had a scientific explanation for why they worked.
Today, Brain-centric’s active and profoundly personal approach to learning, focusing on psychological safety and how the brain processes new information, has helped businesses of all sizes achieve jaw-dropping results. Carr has taken his deep understanding of cognitive communication to business, replicating Brian-centric in every continent and in more than 20 languages.
“My professional and personal communication aligned with how the brain processes information and how people love to learn. What that means for business can be illustrated in a recent engagement with a Fortune 5: ‘Reduced the amount of time it takes to train new hires from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. This four-week reduction was able to provide cost-savings to our business partners with a minimum average savings of 59K per new hire class’.”
Carr is passionate about creating a learning space where everyone feels safe, respected, and supported, regardless of their background or abilities. He believes that by eliminating labeling and stratification, we can increase human potential.
This is why he has readily undertaken other ventures in the space. Since 1999, he has been the owner/operator of an education agency – Carr
Knowledge, Inc., and has three thriving businesses in the Learning & Development space. His experience in orchestrating organizational growth and success through exceptional learning and development programs, instructional design, and engaging presentation skills, has made him an Emergent Thought Leader. Further, his abilities are not limited by industry or specialization. Organizations at which he has made a positive impact include Nike, CVS/Aetna, Silicon Valley Bank, The Veteran’s Administration, Vista Outdoor, NIPR, and many others.
Carr’s multi-fold achievements made Dr. O’Mahony bestow upon him the title – ‘Learning Scientist’. “I am consistently curious and take great delight in bringing new information to people in a way that they can understand and apply to their lives. Whether it is my children or the US military, I am gratified to see others replicate this work and achieve success.”
Rich is often described as empathetic, compassionate, and a creative Champion of People. He has always followed his strong intuition and ability to see a ‘Big Idea’ in almost any kind of communication.
But, how does he face the challenges? “I’ve an amazing support network of loved ones, family, and a community of certified Brain-centric Instructional Designers (BcID) we’ve trained that add to the science from business verticals from A to Z.
Beyond that, when you are liberated from the learning constructs you have imitated from the 1st grade to professional life, learning and life are symbiotic elements to each waking day where I enjoy and employ autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”
Sharing his mantra, he adds, “You were never taught to think. Only told to think. Think about that. Change that.”